June 14, 2012 – Brian M. Harward, an associate professor of political science at Allegheny College, has accepted an appointment as director of the college’s nationally known Center for Political 
Participation (CPP).
The CPP partners Allegheny students and faculty with local, state, national and international communities to undertake interdisciplinary approaches to political, economic and social challenges.
“Each of the programs and partnerships of the CPP is directed at emphasizing political participation broadly conceived,” said Harward. “Our work is directed at linking the resources of the college and the larger scholarly community with the pressing needs and complex challenges facing many of our communities.”
The CPP provides programming through a diverse offering of collaborative research, community-based learning, study away opportunities, colloquia, undergraduate research, public lectures, seminars and other programs.
“We are fortunate to have Brian take over the reins of the CPP,” said Provost and Dean of the College Linda DeMeritt. “As a former faculty fellow at the CPP, he knows the center’s programs and helped to guide them. As a teacher and mentor who won teaching awards at Southern Illinois University and at the University of Georgia before coming to Allegheny, he is ideally suited to work with CPP fellows and other students to ensure that they have the best possible experience. And as a respected scholar, he has both the perspective and the expertise to lead the CPP in the years ahead.”
The CPP will also benefit from the experience of the current program coordinator, Mary Solberg, who will continue to assist in program development and communications for the center.
Harward teaches classes in constitutional law, judicial process and philosophy of law, among other courses in American politics.
He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Georgia and his B.A. from Gettysburg College, where he helped establish the Center for Public Service. Harward worked for several years at the American Association for Higher Education in Washington, D.C., developing a national program on civic education.
Harward also served as the Higher Education Secretariat’s liaison to the AmeriCorps and Learn and Serve: Higher Education programs as the AmeriCorps program was being developed.
He has published and conducted research in a number of areas of law, political philosophy and American politics, including a recent book on presidential elections, as well as a series of journal articles on the U.S. Courts of Appeals, legal ethics, human rights, poverty law, co-sponsorship in the U.S. Senate, political efficacy, congressional oversight, and executive power.
He has also published articles and book chapters related to teaching, civic engagement and liberal education.
Harward’s wife, Ashley, a psychotherapist trained at Washington University in St. Louis, works in Allegheny College’s Counseling Center. They have two children, Wynn and Catherine, and live in Meadville.
